The petition is filed with the county clerk in the county in which you or your spouse resides.

To begin the divorce process a party needs to file a Petition, Family Case Data Sheet, Civil Summons and a VS-300, which is a vital statistics form that is filed with the state.

Since Kentucky is a no-fault state a spouse can technically start dating at any point in the process. However, please be advised that if you are spending funds that are deemed marital on a new girlfriend or boyfriend an argument could be made that you are dissipating marital assets and you could be required to repay those funds to the marital estate. You may not remarry until the court has entered your decree. If you marry prior to the entry of the decree, then your new marriage is void.

Approximately 95% of all cases settle before a trial. If your case falls into this 95% then you may not ever step foot in a courtroom as it relates to your divorce. However, if your case does not settle and there needs to be a trial, you will have to go to court.

Each case is different and will take different amounts of time to complete. Some Kentucky counties have specific filing requirements and disclosures that must be filed. In addition, if children are involved, your county may require you to attend a parent education class during the divorce. If these classes are not completed in a timely manner, this could delay the divorce process as well.

If you have resided in Kentucky for 180 days prior to the filing of the petition, then you would file the petition in the county in which you reside with the clerk of the court.